When the talented Texas-born pianist, who straddles jazz and hip-hop, discovered that both his bands were booked on the same night - his jazz trio and hip hop oriented combo 'Experiment' - the idea for "Doubled-Booked" took seed. The title comes from a literal double booking when Terence Blanchard and Ahmir ?uestlove Thompson both wanted the respective bands on the same night, but Glaspar's real aim is to underline the fact that both musical forms are equally important to him, and equally central in what he does.
So "le pianist du jour" Glasper puts them both on the same joint - his third album for Blue Note.
Few artists embody the bond between hard bop jazz and hip hop culture with as much groove, panache and down-home wittiness as Robert Glasper.
This release showcases his reach across two ensembles: his acoustic trio and the fusion-fuelled Experiment. There's no real division: both are informed by the same sensibility. Circular rhythms intrude into the acoustic set and Glasper's method of seeking out the essence of a tune is just as evident on the Experiment cuts.
While the two segments of the record are notably different, the influences also leak into each other, and both bands are linked by his incisive and inventive piano playing. Most of the music is his own, although the trio serve up their own distinctive interpretation of Monk's "Think Of One", and the Experiment segment includes their take on Herbie Hancock's "Butterfly".
Each 'half' of the album has Glasper summoned by a different voicemail (jazz legend Terence Blanchard then The Roots' beatmaster ?uestlove), and each resounds with a distinct live energy.
The first half features his jazz trio with bassist Vincent Archer and drummer Chris Dave,the rest is by his hip-hop-based Experiment band, with guest vocals from Bilal and Mos Def.
The acoustic side proves more soulful and experimental, thanks to the rhythmic density of Glasper's clustered repetitions and the expert drum and bass team of Chris Dave and Vicente Archer. In contrast, Mos Def and Bilal singing through vocoders can seem clichéd.
The album is supposed to fuse his two interests but only once does this occur: on "4eva" featuring rapper Mos Def.
The rest skips between piano-led post-bop and the blissed-out, soul-jazz of Roy Ayres and Herbie Hancock - the latter's Seventies' composition "Butterfly" is playfully read here.
Everybody involved sounds like they 'get it' with gusto, and music fans should do the same. So, have fun and enjoy!
The album debuts at # 7 of the Billboard Top Jazz Album.
Issue date: September 12, 2009
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Double Booked.
